There's Just Too Much That Time Cannot Erase
by TOWTheFanfic
Summary: After a painful break-up, Ross and Rachel have every reason to hate each other. But what happens when the group take a trip and old memories resurface? Some feelings never truly go away...
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: This story takes place a few weeks after the break-up in Season 3. Ross and Rachel are being civil but aren't close friends.**

**Obviously I do not own Friends or any of the characters.**

It was all Monica's idea. The friends were sitting in the coffee house, lazily sipping coffee when she suggested it.

"Why don't we go on a trip?" she had asked. The others looked at her for a moment.

"Why?" Rachel questioned back.

"I don't know... I just think we should do more together than sit in a coffee house all day!" Monica noticed that Gunther had overheard what she said. "No offence, Gunther!"

"Ooh, ooh, we should go paintballing!" exclaimed Phoebe. Immediately, everyone started to shout over each other and protest about where they should go. Monica began to think that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"You know what? I don't think we should go anywhere. We already have our own problems, and people get stressed out on trips... I don't want that for us."

"By 'people', you mean you. You get stressed out on trips. Normal people are just fine." Chandler retorted, knowing it would make Monica want to prove him wrong.

"Are you saying I can't have fun? Because I can. And I will. When we all go to California." She looks around the room and sees mixed reactions.

"How come you get to choose the place?" moaned Joey.

"Because it was my idea in the first place, and trust me, I'm going to make this the best holiday you've ever had!"

The flight to California was long and boring. Monica tried to make it 'fun' by giving everyone crossword puzzles, but everyone ignored them (except Ross, who ended up in an intense 'final round' with Monica, who let her competitve streak get the best of her and ended up getting the attention of every passenger on the plane). By the time the group arrived in Cali and had driven to and settled into the hotel, it was 6pm. Everyone was in Monica's room that she shared with Phoebe (Phoebe said that because Rachel was Monica's roommate back home, she should get to be with her on the trip) and they were all getting restless. They had been playing board games for a half hour and nobody was making much effort anymore. Suddenly, Monica violently threw some dice, making the others jump.

"How do you expect me to show my fun side when you're like this?" She asked no one in particular.

Rachel was the first to speak up. "I'm sorry Mon, but have you considered that maybe the reason why we look half dead is because this game is so damn boring?!"

"Fine! Be like that! I'd like to see you come up with something better to do."

Joey put on his serious seductive voice, "I know something we could all do... together."

"Joey!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Relax!" the corners of Joey's mouth curved upwards into a grin. "It was just an idea." The friends all sighed heavily before continuing to lazily shuffle the cards.

"I've had enough!" Phoebe got up and started to search the shelves.

"Phoebe, what are you doing?" Monica questioned.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Phoebe replied flatly.

"I don't know, but searching strange hotel shelves never ends well." said a concerned Monica.

"Don't worry, Phoebe." Chandler retorted again, "Monica's just afraid that she might end up doing something fun for once."

Monica immediately spoke, "Fine then. Go ahead Phoebe. Search the shelves, but I'm telling you..." Phoebe carried on shuffling boxes around until she pulled out a smaller box.

"Guys, look what I found!" she exclaimed, waving the Trivial Persuit box above her head. Everyone looked at Monica to see how she would react.

"Haha, it's your unlucky day! I am soo good at this game! You will all lose and I will win and you will cry and I will laugh!"

"And... the beast is unleashed." said Chandler with a head tilt.

Ross spoke "Nuh uh uh. I am not playing with Monica."

"And why would that be? You scared because mom isn't here to protect you?" Monica taunted.

Ross raised his voice, "No! You know what, bring it on!" Just as he finished talking Phoebe realised something.

"This is an incomplete set. There are only enough playing pieces for three people." A chorus of relieved and slightly sarcastic "Oh no!"'s and "What a bummer!"'s went around the room. But Monica wasn't going to give up that easily.

"That's okay. We could just take turns."

"Yeah but who gets to play first?" questioned Phoebe.

Rachel interrupted, "I don't care as long as I'm not against Monica!" They all nodded along.

"How about we pair up?" suggested Joey.

"Joey, that's actually a good idea!" Ross said congratulating him.

"Well, I was due." said a proud Joey.

"I'll be with Monica!" called out Chandler. Rachel realised what he was doing,

"Hey, you just want that so you don't have to play against her!"

Chandler looked pleased with himself, "Yeah, that's right! You should have thought of that earlier."

"Okay, then I want Joey!" Phoebe said, pulling Joey towards her. "That leaves you two..." She looked at Ross and Rachel. "Oh, I'm sorry! If one of you wants to trade -"

Ross cut her off, "No, it's fine! We're okay with each other." He gestured at Rachel to sit beside him and she gave him a silent nod.

Rachel looked at Phoebe. "We'll be perfectly fine Pheebs!" And she walked over to sit next to Ross.

**Hope you enjoyed reading! I know there hasn't been much RossxRachel in this chapter but I felt that the first chapter should just be setting the scene and I promise you, chapter 2 will have more of Ross and Rachel :) p.s. this is my first fanfic so please remember to RnR!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, so this is chapter 2 :) Enjoy!**

"We won... Again!" Ross and Rachel high-fived each other, celebrating their third victory in a row, and turned to face Monica, "Who's the loser now, Mon?!"

"Ugh, damnit!" Monica shouted obviously frustrated, "You need to try harder Chandler!"

"You wouldn't let me answer any of the questions!" Chandler pointed out.

Monica rolled her eyes. "Still! When did you get so good at Trivial Persuit anyway?" She asked Rachel, who was about to answer when Ross cut in,

"Her? Are you joking? I'm the one doing all the work over here!"

"Hey!" Rachel slapped him playfully on the arm. He pretended to look hurt for a moment, before gently poking her in the stomach. "Stop it!" Rachel squealed, struggling to keep a straight face as she reached her hand out to hit his arm again, but Ross caught her wrist just in time, and drove it backwards into her body. Ross and Rachel looked at each other for a few seconds with warm smiles, then collapsed into fits of laughter. They turned to notice the rest of the group staring at them and their laughter died down a bit, but they continued to send each other discreet smiles and let out small chuckles until the game was over.

At 10pm, the friends decided to get some sleep. "I can't believe you won FIVE times!" Monica shouted in a shocked tone.

Ross and Rachel grinned at each other. "Yeah, well believe it!" Ross exclaimed.

"See you tomorrow morning guys." called out Phoebe as the other four friends headed off to their rooms.

"Bye Mon, bye Pheebs." replied the others.

Joey and Chandler's room was across the hall from the girls, so they said goodbye to Ross and Rachel and went inside, leaving the two alone.

"That was interesting." said Ross as they approached Rachel's door.

"Yeah." Rachel's brow creased and she frowned as if she had realised something. Then she tilted her head back and smiled. "Goodnight, Ross."

Ross smiled back. "Goodnight, Rach."

Rachel woke up with a start. She checked the time. _3am. Okay, it was nothing, just a bad dream, go back to sleep Rachel._ She lay in bed for an hour before losing hope of getting any rest tonight. _What am I supposed to do now? There are still four hours until anyone's going to be awake. _The dream was still fresh in her memory, and soon she realised there was only one thing that would make her feel safe. The one person who made her feel better no matter what.

Quietly, Rachel crept out of her room, making sure to shut the door behind her. She paused for a moment, making sure she wanted to do this, then opened the door of the room next to hers. Determined to make as little noise as possible, she walked up to the bed and tapped a sleeping Ross on the shoulder. "Ross, Ross!"

Ross began to stir then woke up to see Rachel looking down at him. "Rachel? Is everything okay?"

Rachel went quiet. "Yes... Well no. Listen... Would you mind if I slept here tonight?"

"No, of course not... But what happened?" Ross asked curiously.

"Nothing, I just had a bad dream." Rachel was thankful that the darkness hid her blush.

Ross looked at her suspiciously. "Wait a minute... Are you only saying that to get into bed with me?" He chuckled quietly.

"No, Ross, I'm serious! I had a bad dream and I'm scared and -"

"Rach, it's okay," he took hold of her hand and pulled her into bed with him. "I was just winding you up."

"Well, don't make fun of me." She said jokingly, turning onto her side to face him. "It if it were you things would be different!"

"What? You wouldn't let me into your bed or you wouldn't make fun of me?"

"I guess I would have to let you into my bed... and okay, fine, it would be impossible for me to go without making fun of you." Rachel smiled into the night. "But that's different."

"Yeah, except it's the same!" Ross looked up at the ceiling as they both laughed silently.

"Well, night then." Rachel said looking directly into Ross' eyes.

"Night." Ross grinned. "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

"You too!" And just like that, all of Rachel's fears disappeared.

Although they couldn't see each other's faces clearly, they could tell the other had fallen asleep smiling.

**Thank you for reading, sorry that it was a bit shorter but feel free to review! Chapter 3 will be up within the next week and if not, the week after that x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey again! Thank you for any reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

Rachel rolled over and took a glance at the bedside clock. _8:40am. _She sighed as she slowly got out of Ross' bed and crept towards the door, careful not to wake Ross.

"Hey." Ross called out as Rachel reached for the handle.

"Oh shoot! Sorry to wake you."

"No, no, I was already awake, don't worry..." Ross noticed the position of Rachel's hand on the door. "Where are you going?"

"Back to my room." She replied blatantly.

"Why?"

"Well, the staff come round with breakfast at 9:00, and err... We wouldn't want the others to think we had a 'thing' going on, y'know?"

"Yeah..." A few thoughts formed in his mind for a second, but he was quick to laugh them off. "Agreed."

...

"Hey Rach!" The four friends chorused as Rachel strolled into Phoebe and Monica's room, where everyone was gathered once again (excluding Ross).

Rachel looked around. "Hey you guys... What are you all planning on doing today?"

"Weellll, since it's our first day here, and we're all jet-lagged, I was thinking we could just stay in the hotel and take a look around." Monica said, having clearly thought everything through.

"That's all?" Joey questioned. "Sounds boring to me, I wanna see some hot beach chicks!"

"Okay, okay, if we're not too tired, we'll stop by the beach later."

Joey gave a "woo!" and left the room, just as Ross walked in.

"I overheard the plans... Are you sure that's all you want to do?"

"Yes!" Monica exclaimed. "I'll tell you what, let's all go downstairs now!" She waved her arm and the others followed her through the door.

...

"That was so worth it!" Rachel said through laughter.

Ross grinned. "Did you see their faces? Priceless."

"Haha! You and I, my friend, make a great team!"

"We should definitely play pranks more often!" Ross looked at Rachel.

"I don't know..."

Ross pretended to be serious for a moment. "Hey, either you're with me or you're against me. And we both know how easy you are to prank."

"I am not! -" Rachel spotted a large poster above them. They took in the main information.

_Dance. Friday 28th, 9:00-12:00pm, in the main hall. Black tie. Bring a dance partner._

"Ooh, maybe we could all go..." Rachel thought out loud.

"Maybe... But neither of us have dance partners."

Rachel looked down at herself, then looked up at Ross and gave him a coy smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ross faked the realisation. "Rachel Karen Green, may I have the pleasure in escorting you to the dance tomorrow evening?"

Rachel giggled. "Yes, of course you may." She gazed up at him as he took her arm and hooked it with his.

...

"Guys, why are you back so late?" Monica shouted as soon as Ross and Rachel walked into the room. "We've been waiting to go to the beach for the past hour!"

"Mon, I am so sorry! We got held up." Said Rachel, smiling to herself as she thought of the day her and Ross had spent exploring the hotel together.

"Well shame, because now, thanks to you, none of us really want to go anymore." Monica sighed, leaving the rest of the group.

"Oh, really..? I was looking forward to it, actually." A frown settled on Ross' face.

Rachel chimed in. "Me too, aww, this is too bad!"

"If you're both so disappointed about it, why don't you just go together?" Phoebe looked at the pair.

"Phoebe!" Chandler cut in. "I don't think it would be a good idea." He turned and whispered to Ross "You guys have like, just broken up. I mean what if one of you ends up killing the other or something?"

"Relax. Rachel's my friend." Ross whispered back.

"I heard my name..?"

"It's nothing, Rach." Ross walked to the door. "I'm gonna go get ready, you coming to the beach?"

"Oh, err, yeah! Sure." She gave him a reassuring smile which he returned. "I'll meet you outside your room in ten."

...

Rachel knocked on Ross' door for the third time, before calling out his name. "Ross! Ross! It's me, Rachel."

A while later she heard a reply. "Okay, just give me a minute. You can come in, if you want."

Rachel paused, then reluctantly decided to go into his room.

"Hey," Ross started. "I just need to -" He looked up at her. "Wow."

"What?"

"Nothing, except... You look..." Ross thought for a bit. "... Really good."

She was only wearing an old oversized shirt and a pair of shorts. Her hair was held back by a large clip, with a few loose strands in her face. But to Ross, she was always breathtaking.

"Thank you." Lately, she couldn't help but smile back whenever he smiled at her. Something about him made her feel special, like she was the only person that mattered. Whether they were broken up or not.

"So, let's go." Ross gently took hold of her arm and shot her another warm smile, the kind that had always made her heart melt. They locked the door behind them and blissfully headed off to the beach.

**So that was Chapter 3, hope you enjoyed reading and 'stay tuned' for Chapter 4 x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, all I have to say is enjoy!**

"What's on your mind?" Ross asked Rachel as they walked, hand in hand, down the path by the edge of a rocky cliff.

"Hmm, nothing. I was just thinking about how beautiful it all looks." She said, gesturing towards the beach ahead. The sun was setting over a deep blue sea and there was a light breeze making the tide lap in and out. For a moment, Rachel lost her footing and almost fell down the side of the cliff, but Ross gripped her hand tighter and pulled her towards him, just in time. Rachel tried to shake it off and continued walking.

"Ahem." Ross coughed suggestively.

"What?"

"Well, I just saved your life. A thank you would be nice."

"You did not-" She saw a questioning look on Ross' face. "Okay, fine, _maybe _you helped me a bit. But I wouldn't say you saved my life."

Ross looked proud with himself. "But I did. Without me, you'd be lying at the bottom of a cliff right now! I'm your hero!"

"Whatever, but carry on talking about it and you'll be the one who ends up lying at the bottom of a cliff." Rachel shoved him playfully.

"Hey!" He shoved her back. "Now you've asked for it!" Ross scooped her up with one swift motion of his arms and teasingly threatened to drop her.

"Put me down!" Rachel tried to sound cross but ended up giving into her laughter, as did Ross.

They were both still laughing when they reached the beach, and Ross gentlly dropped Rachel onto the sand.

"Rosss! You got sand in my hair!" She said, sitting up, taking her clip out and running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry!" He frowned, pretending to be upset. "Please forgive me?" He shot her his best puppy eyed look.

"Ugh, you know I can't resist that look! Okay, I forgive you." Rachel smiled jokingly.

"Anyway, it'll come out when you go in the sea."

Rachel stood up. "Oh yeah, about that, one of us needs to be here looking after the stuff. So do you wanna go in first or should I?"

Ross stood up to follow Rachel. "Wait a second... The last people are leaving." He sneaked up on Rachel from behind and bent down to whisper. "Look around... We have an empty beach all to ourselves!"

"Mmm..." She murmured as his breath ticked her ear. "I think you're right... I suppose it'd be okay for us both to leave the stuff here and just go into the water, right?" Rachel gazed at him and he smiled back before going back to his normal standing position.

"Sure, I think it would be fine."

"Then let's go!" She steadily pulled her shirt over her head and took her shorts off to reveal her bikini. "Come on!" She called out to Ross, who was taking his time, as she ran up to the sea.

Rachel dipped her feet into the shallow water and pulled away hastily. It was suprisingly cold for a Cali sea. Ross had now caught up with her and stood beside her quietly.

"Are we actually going to go in any time soon?" He eventually spoke.

"Yes, but it's quite cold."

"So? Standing here won't make it warmer." Ross walked a few steps into the water until it was up to his knees, then waved at her to join him. Doubtful, Rachel dipped her feet back into the water. The cold stung for a while, but she got through it and walked to stand next to Ross.

They repeated this until they were both stomach deep in water, then Ross did something Rachel wasn't anticipating. Reaching behind him, he scooped up some water and splashed her.

Rachel squealed. "I thought we agreed, no splashing!"

"I don't recall making such a deal!"

"Fine, if that's the case..." She splashed him back.

Ross looked at her seriously. "No you didn't..." He splashed Rachel again, more than he had the last time, making her erupt into giggles, before she of course splashed him back again. This went on for the next hour, with both having completely forgotten about the cold and anything else in the world, for that matter. It was a break from thinking. All they had on their minds was that moment.

...

"That was the most fun I've had in ages!" Rachel spoke out as they walked back up along the sand to the place where their stuff was.

"Why? We both know I won in the end! I splashed you the most."

Rachel pulled her shirt back on. "No, but really... I had a great time."

"Me too." Ross replied, laying out a towel.

"Yeah..." Their eyes met in the dark for a split second but glanced away from each other equally as fast.

Ross sat down on the towel, patting the spot next to him. Rachel sat in the spot and threw her head back slightly.

"So... What are we looking at?" She said, gazing up at the stars above them.

"Well, you see that little cluster of stars next to the big one? That's Ursa Major."

"Really?"

"I've no idea, could be." They both looked at each other and smiled, chuckling into the darkness.

"I knew you were thinking about it too!" exclaimed Rachel. "But there was a part of me that thought you forgot."

"Never! It was pretty unforgetable."

They stayed in silence until Ross noticed that Rachel was shivering.

"Are you cold?" He asked her.

"Oh, no I'm fine."

"Sweetie you're shivering."

_Sweetie. _It was the first time he'd called her that in months.

"Yeah, it's a bit chilly I guess."

"Here," he offered, taking off his sweater. "Wear this."

Rachel frowned. "But then you'll be cold."

"I have a blanket." Ross said as he pulled out a blanket from the backpack.

"Why didn't you just give me that?"

"Because... I thought you might feel uncomfortable sharing with me."

"Of course not! Actually, I'm still a bit cold..." She looked at him suggestively. Ross grabbed the edge of the blanket and covered her with it so they were both underneath. Rachel cuddled up to him as he put his arm around her.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I kinda broke your heart, Ross."

Hurt crossed Ross' face. "Well, didn't I do the same?"

"But I could never hate you..." Rachel slowly began to realise what he meant.

"Neither could I. The point is," he began, gently placing two of his fingers under her chin as she gazed up at him. "I will always be here for you, and no matter what, I will always, _always, _care about you." He tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Never forget that."

**That's all for now, please RnR! Chapter 5 will be up around next week :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is here! Again, I appreciate all feedback and remember to keep reviewing :) **

"Let's be careful not to wake the guys because we know what they're gonna think!" Rachel whispered to Ross as they walked up the hotel steps. It was now 11pm and chances were the others were still tired and had gone to bed early.

"Think about what?" Ross said as quietly as possible.

"Us sleeping in bed together."

"Woah, so this is gonna become a regular 'thing' now?"

"Maybe." Rachel smiled, slowly turning the lock to her room. Then her smile faded. "Unless you don't want me there..."

"No, of course I want you there!" He paused. "I mean, yeah. I can put up with you for a few more nights." Ross teased.

"Good. Just let me drop my stuff off here and I'll be there in a sec."

"I guess I'll be waiting." Ross said, still slightly confused as to why she wanted to sleep with him. But he didn't question it. He said he'd be there for her no matter what.

...

"Hey you." Rachel said in a hushed tone as she let herself into Ross' room.

"Hey you." He echoed, gazing as she climbed in next to him.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

Rachel sighed. "You know..." She looked bothered for a while then let her face relax. "Never mind... Ooh what are ya doing?" She moved closer to him and peered over his shoulder.

"I'm actually reading an interesting book about the Mesozoic era-"

"You know what?" Rachel smiled as he looked up at her. "Forget I ever asked."

Ross laughed nervously, placing his book on the bedside counter and flicking off the light, before they both changed to lie in a sleeping position. He turned to face her body.

"I had fun today, y'know? I didn't think I would, but I did."

"Me too." Rachel agreed. They both laughed a little.

"Goodnight, Ross."

He kissed her hair. "Night."

...

"Guys, are you going to the dance tonight?" Rachel asked.

Monica looked up from her vaccuming. "Oh, yeah, sure! But I don't have anything to wear... I thought I'd packed for every occasion, damnit!"

"Exactly! That's why I thought it'd be a good idea for us to go shopping today!"

"I don't really need to... My date is Joey. If we're gonna match, I just need to check that I've packed jeans and an old t-shirt." Phoebe shrugged.

"Fine, we'll get the guys to go shopping too!"

The girls looked at Rachel.

"You know they're going to mess it up..." said Monica seriously.

"Oh, don't worry! I'll assign them a list of shops they can go to."

"A list? Who knew, live with someone for too long and you _do _start to turn into them. Oh!" Phoebe laughed lightly, then stopped when she saw Rachel and Monica staring at her.

Monica ignored Phoebe's comment. "They'll have to agree once I've told them."

...

"Just stick to the list, my fashion impaired friends." Rachel called out to Joey, Chandler and Ross.

"Whatever!" called back Chandler with an unamused sarcastic smile on his face.

"So," Phoebe began after the guys had walked away. "Why is Ross your date for the dance?"

"Yeah, Rach. I thought you hated each other? I'm telling you, there's a good chance this isn't going to end well."

Rachel held her head down. "I don't know. I guess, we've been great for these past few days, plus he was there when I saw the poster and... It just made sense, y'know?"

"No, it makes the exact opposite of sense!" Monica exclaimed.

"Unless..." Phoebe looked into the distance and then gasped at Rachel. "Something happened at the beach!"

"No!.. Would you guys give it a rest already?!"

"Fine, fine... But we'll be keeping an eye out!" Monica glanced at Phoebe and they both chuckled as Rachel walked off.

"Hey..." Rachel said quietly, seeing something in the corner of her eye. "You two should go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

"Erm... Okay?" A confused Monica waved over to Phoebe and they headed further down the mall.

Rachel walked over to the food court. "Hey Ross... Ooh, and who's this?" She interrupted with fake surprise, gesturing at the woman Ross was talking to.

"This is Morgan. Morgan, this is Rachel." He turned to talk to Rachel. "Morgan's also here on vacation, we even just found out that her son goes to the same school as Ben!"

"Oh, ahaha!" Rachel laughed nervously and continued with false enthusiasm. "Would you look at that? What a small world eh?!"

"Definitely!" Morgan did a genuine laugh, then it went silent.

"Well, this has been fun, but now it's time to go."

"Rach, I'm in the middle of a conversation."

"Please can we go?" She did her puppy eyes which she knew were Ross' weakness. "Please?"

"Rachel..? Okay... Morgan, I am so sorry." He wrote his number out on some paper. "Feel free to call me."

"I will!" Morgan called back.

Ross and Rachel walked away from Morgan and went to lean behind a pillar.

"What was that?" He asked her harshly.

"I might ask you the same question!"

Ross narrowed his eyes, before his face collapsed into a grin. "I should have known, this is classic Rachel!"

"What?"

"Listen, you don't have to be jealous -"

"Jealous? Aha, never."

"Why did you do that then?" He took hold of both of her hands in his. "Rach, don't worry about me going off with someone else, okay? You might have heard, I've just been through a _terrible _break-up." Ross looked at Rachel and they laughed a little in spite of everything. "And I'm not ready to be in a relationship yet. So the good news is that for now, you're still my number one girl." He winked at her but instead of winking back, Rachel flung her arms around Ross.

Overwhelmed by the sudden affection, he wrapped his arms around her in silence. She buried her face into his chest and he ran his fingers through her hair as they stood still for a while, both not wanting to break the hug.

"Okay." Ross spoke as he reluctanty pulled away. "Now come on, let's see this dress of yours!"

Disappointment crossed Rachel's face, before she smiled. "Oh, no, I'm afraid you have to wait until tonight!"

"Well then, I look forward to it."

Rachel glanced up and tried to change the subject. "Hey... Do you wanna get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Yeah, sure." He said as they strolled off, side by side.

**Thank you for reading, I can't wait to write the next few chapters! x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Enjoy reading and remember; all in good time ;)**

* * *

"Rachel! Rach!" Ross called out as he knocked on her bedroom door.

"In a minute!" She snapped.

"Okay, calm down!" Ross knew that Rachel spent ages getting ready on a regular day, and he could only imagine how much time she had taken tonight. He twisted the door handle and slowly let himself into her room. Ross spotted Rachel looking into a mirror. She was wearing a black dress and holding up two different necklaces against her neck.

"Hmm..." She murmured quietly.

Ross coughed slightly. "Pick the golden one."

Rachel froze, staring at Ross' reflection in the mirror. "Ross... don't sneak in like that! What if I was in the middle of changing, hm?" She unclasped the golden necklace and held it towards him. "Hey... Do you mind?"

"Oh, yeah sure." He took the necklace, accidentally brushing her skin with his fingers as he pulled some hair back away from her neck. Rachel felt him pause, before she tilted her head to one side and let Ross fiddle with the chain. "Done." They were both still for a long while, gazing into their mirror images. Ross knelt in closer and rested his hands on her shoulders. "You're beautiful." He told her quietly. "You have no idea how much I hate that."

She smiled in silence and finally turned to look up at him. "Thank you." Her eyes were lost until she found his. "And look at you, all handsome."

"Thanks." He said warmly. "So... Do you wanna head downstairs? The others said they'd meet us there."

"Of course. Let's go." Their hands found each other so naturally that it left Ross and Rachel aware of how much contact they had had over the past few days. But tonight was a chance to forgot about the bad things that happened before the trip, and they were determined not to let anything ruin that.

...

"Wow." Rachel said, taking in her surroundings. "I really didn't know it was this big of a deal."

Ross was also in awe. "Me neither, but apparently this only happens once a year."

"Lucky us, then."

"Hey, over here!" Their moment of peace was broken by the sound of Monica's voice. The four friends waved over to Ross and Rachel, who went to join them.

...

"So now," Ross began, "we dance." He took hold of both of her hands in his as the first song started. "And I have no idea what style we're supposed to be doing." Nervous chuckles.

"You know what? Let's just follow the music."

"Whatever you say..." Ross put his arms around her waist and they swayed gently, faster as the music became more upbeat. He raised their joined hands above him and spun Rachel around. Their moves became fluent as they disconnected themselves from the real world, both in a flurry of laughter.

Ross pulled Rachel into him and then let her go again, spinning her a little too much. She lost her balance and grabbed Ross' hand tighter, accidentally pulling him down to the floor with her. Ross landed with half of his body over hers; their eyes found each other for a brief moment, before they burst out laughing.

...

"Would you just look at them?" Monica said, glancing over at Ross and Rachel, who were still in giggles, now helping each other up and trying to get over the embarrassment.

"I know." Phoebe cut in. "You can't help but."

"Exactly. They're perfect together, and I think they see it too, but they just don't want to..."

"Monica... What are you thinking?"

"Nothing... I'm just gonna, err, go get a drink." Phoebe watched as she walked off; not to the drinks table, but to a man who Phoebe guessed was in charge of the music.

"What could she be up to..?" She wondered, questioning Chandler, who had been standing close by.

"I don't know, but I think, I _think, _it might have something to do with Ross and Rachel." He retorted.

"There you go again..." Phoebe continued to observe Monica as she spoke to the man, then she turned to Chandler. "Where's Joey, by the way?"

"With some hot blonde lady."

"Really?"

"I don't know, but this _is _Joey."

"Oh... We'll see, Joseph Tribbiani." Phoebe left Chandler and went off to find Joey.

A voice came over on the speakers. "Music break for 20 minutes. Feel free to have some refreshments or step out onto the balcony."

Chandler stared as Monica walked away from the man and nonchalantly started to pour herself a drink. _Eh. It's all no __big deal._

_..._

"Hey." Ross turned to Rachel. "Shall we go outside for a while?"

"Sure." She gave his hand a small squeeze.

They walked through the double doors at the opposite end of the hall and stepped out into the cool evening air. He led Rachel to the balcony.

"Wow..." Rachel said, gazing at the California skyline. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah... It really is."

She turned to him. "So... Why did you bring me here."

"Hmm..."

Rachel looked at him with a flat expression. "Ross."

"Okay. I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Erm... Okay, Rach. Listen." He took a deep breathe and thought about what he was about to tell her. "When you get back home... I... Might not be there."

Rachel stood still. "What do you mean?"

"I got offered a job here. It pays better, the hours are more flexible, and... I'm think I'm going to take it."

She didn't blink.

Ross started again. "I'm telling you this now because I'll only go ahead with it if it's okay with you."

"Me..? It's your choice Ross, whatever makes you happy..." Rachel looked confused for a minute. She paused and stared at the floor. "But I feel..." She spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"What?"

"You can't..." Her voice quivered.

"What is it, Rach?"

Rachel looked up until her eyes met his. They held each other's gaze.

"I-"

Before she could say anymore, he knelt in and planted a soft kiss on her lips. They pulled away from each other for a brief moment, gazing and thinking, both slightly confused at their own actions. Then they both slowly knelt in, moved their hands down each other's sides and kissed passionately, finally admitting to each other the feelings they had been trying so hard to avoid.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Reviews mean so much to me, so please feel free to tell me what you think so far :) And Summer holidays are coming up so I'll be able to update more *yay***


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7, finally! All reviews are appreciated and sorry it took so long :(**

* * *

The kiss grew deeper, hands travelling up each other's bodies until they were holding each other's faces. Ross caught his hands in Rachel's hair and she let her urges take over, closing her eyes and embracing the feeling of kissing him she had missed so much.

A while later, a man swung the doors open and called out, "Sorry to interrupt, but the break's over. The dance will continue."

"Oh. Erm... Of course." Ross pulled away from Rachel, but took her hand in his and led her back into the hall.

They were in silence the whole time. The upbeat songs didn't have much joy left in them, and the slow songs were almost too much to bare. It was too much for them to stand pressed up against each other, arms on waists, faces almost touching, without having heart aches.

A new song started. As the intro played, Monica smiled at Phoebe and Chandler, all oblivious as to what had happened between Ross and Rachel, and what he had just told her.

_Not now. I can't hear this song right now... _Ross and Rachel both closed their eyes in sadness and disbelief as the lyrics to With Or Without You started.

A silent tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly brushed it away, determined not to let any land on Ross' shoulder. She opened her eyes and they continued to sway gently, no matter how much it hurt them to think about how painfully close they were, and dreading the moment when they would have to let go.

...

"Goodnight, Ross." Rachel called to Ross from down the hallway, twisting her door handle.

"Wait... Aren't you sleeping in here?"

"Well, I thought it might be awkward... After tonight."

"Oh, come on. These are our last few days together, I want to spend time with you." Ross looked at the floor.

"Fine. Me too." She smiled. "I'll be there in a sec."

Once Rachel was ready, she slipped into Ross' room just as she had the two nights before, only wearing a night shirt.

"Hey, Rach." Ross said as he saw her come in. "Don't worry about me leaving, okay? It might be for the best -"

"No... I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm sorry. So are we going to sleep or what?"

"No." She went to sit on the bed, facing Ross. "I want to talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know. I could just really use some cheering up right now."

...

"So you ended up in hospital... Because of Monica?"

"Yeah... Hey, stop laughing, it was serious!"

"Sure." Rachel paused. "I mean, I know Monica used to beat you up, but seriously..." She started chuckling under her breath.

"I could have died!"

"Oh, and what a disaster that would have been!" Rachel teased.

"You think? We both know you wouldn't be able to live without me!"

"I could! But nice to know you think of yourself like that."

"Because it's true. You need meee!"

"Yeah? Well too bad you're leaving then."

"Hey, you're lucky I'm leaving. This way everyone we know won't find out about the time you peed your pants... In 7th Grade!"

"That's not fair! Monica made me laugh! Anyway, how do you know about that?"

"There are loads of things that you don't know I know..."

"Tell anyone any of them and you'll wish you had died!"

Ross raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? And if I do tell, what are you going to do about it?"

Rachel held up her hands in front of her, as if preparing to wrestle him. "Be careful. You might end up in hospital again if you don't shut up."

Ross held his hands up in the same position as hers. "Make me."

At that moment, Rachel pushed herself almost into Ross, grabbing his hands tightly and pushing against them with all her might. Ross was obviously stronger, and pushed her backwards with a strength that forced her to step off the bed.

"You're no match for me, Rachel Green!"

She got up and started running around the room with Ross in pursuit, hands out to grab her. He caught up to Rachel and she squealed as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, picked her up and eventually dropped her as they both fell backwards onto the bed. Ross hardly realised he had accidentally landed on top of Rachel; they were both laughing too hard to notice. Instead, Ross simply rolled off her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

They both sat up on top of the bed sheets to face each other, laughter still dying down.

"Thank you." Rachel said to Ross.

"For what?"

"For cheering me up. For always being here when I needed someone. I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

Ross stared at her. "The Rachel of two months ago wouldn't have said that."

"I know. But deep down inside, I think she knew it."

There was a short silence, then he spoke quietly. "To be honest, I don't know what I'm going to do without you either."

"Mm." Rachel closed her eyes shut and tried to stop the tears from falling, but Ross caught a couple trickle down her cheek.

"Hey." He went to sit next to her and protectively wrapped his arms around her. "Don't cry, Rach."

A few more tears blurred her vision, then she began. "Please don't leave me. I need you. I can't -"

"Shh sweetie, it'll be okay."

She buried her face into his chest and he stroked her hair, planting several kisses on the top of her head as she sobbed quietly.

Rachel finally uncovered her tear stained face. "I've lost you once. I just can't lose you again."

"You never lost me, Rach. And you couldn't lose me, ever." Ross brushed away her tears with his thumb and placed a kiss on her salty cheek. "Hey, I meant what I said on the beach. I'll be here for you and I'll always care about you, no matter what happens."

Rachel looked down. "Ever since we broke up, I've been trying so hard to hate you. I thought it would make things easier, but you were still so nice to me... I'm sorry." She choked through the crying.

"I don't blame you, I deserved it. I hurt you, and you'll never know how sorry I am for doing what I did." He said shakily. "I'm so, _so _sorry."

"But if I hadn't said we should take a stupid break -"

"Don't."

Rachel rested her head against Ross' chest and let her tears fall silently, melting into his embrace.

"I love you." She said trying to hold back sobs.

"I love you too." Ross squeezed her into his body and kissed her hair. "And that will never change."

As Rachel stopped crying, he kissed her forehead, cheek, and thought twice before kissing her neck, sending comfort and warmth radiating through her body. She sat up straighter and wrapped her arms around Ross' shoulders, nuzzling his neck and shooting him a shy grin, eyes twinkling as they exchanged an eskimo kiss. Their gazes met for a moment as he accidentally brushed the smooth skin behind her ear with the tip of his nose, sending shivers down her spine.

"I love you." He whispered again.

"Mmm." She embraced the feeling of his breath tickling her ear. "I love you."

A while passed before Rachel reluctantly pulled away to lay down on her side, but kept her body near Ross'. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and she immediately felt enveloped in his warmth. The feeling of their arms and legs entwined, her hair tickling his chin, the scent of her skin surrounding him; they hadn't been like this in so long, and they both realised how much they had been starved of each other's closeness. She let herself relax, feeling the comfort that only he could give her.

Ross soon noticed that Rachel had fallen asleep. He was about to pull away and was grateful when she took hold of his arm in half asleep mode, and brought it into her body. Ross knelt over and gently kissed her eyelids, flicking off the bedside light and smiling slightly as a final thought formed in his mind.

_Cuddly sleepers._

* * *

**Thanks for reading, I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Reviews, follows, favorites - everything is appreciated!**

* * *

Rachel woke up in Ross' arms. He was still sleeping and held her just as closely as he had before he driffted off the night before. She smiled slightly as she sunk into his embrace, but even through all the warmth and comfort he was giving her, Rachel still felt a tight knotting sensation in her stomach. She knew that this was a moment they would never be able to repeat.

"Morning." Ross knelt over and quickly kissed Rachel's temple.

As surpised as she was, she let the kiss spread through her before replying. "Morning. I didn't realise you were awake."

"Yeah..." He untangled one of his hands from around Rachel's body and checked the bedside clock. "Ugh, we overslept."

She sensed that he was about to get up. "Don't. Stay like this a little while longer. Please?"

"Okay..." Ross knew that it was already late, but soon it would be too late to spend time with her at all, especially like this.

...

A while later, after reluctantly leaving Ross' bed, Rachel was dressed and went into Monica and Phoebe's room. Phoebe was packing (although Monica was doing most of it for her).

"Hey, why are you packing so early?" Rachel interrupted them. "I thought we were leaving on Sunday."

"Not anymore. We managed to get an earlier flight." Monica told her.

"So when are we leaving?"

Monica looked up from Phoebe's suitcase. "Tonight. Short vacation, huh?"

Rachel stood in slience. Just a few hours. A few hours until she would be prevented from his arms for who knows how long._  
_

Thinking of Ross... "Have you spoken to Ross recently?" She asked them.

"Yeah." Phoebe cut in. "He told us what he was doing."

"What he was doing?"

"Staying here instead of going back to New York."

"Oh, yeah." Rachel sighed.

"We're sorry, Rach." Monica said sympathetically.

"No, no, I'm fine. Why would I not be, right?" She put put on the best fake smile she could manage and said bye to her friends before walking out of the door.

...

Rachel paced up and down her own thoughts. She had eaten lunch, given her stuff for packing to Monica and gotten to thinking of memories her and Ross had made, both together and apart. Their first kiss. The prom video. The planetarium. The break. Her disbelief when she found out what Ross had done that night. The way he begged her to forgive him. Every single memory came back in painful detail, and each one made her heart ache.

_I have to talk to him._

By now, the five friends only had half an hour before they had to leave for the airport. Soon it would be too late.

She knocked on his door but didn't wait for a reply before she walked in to find Ross sitting on the bed.

"Hey..." He began, looking up at Rachel.

"Hey..." Her voice shook as she tried to hold it together.

Sensing something was wrong, Ross held out his arms and she walked straight into them. He stroked her hair and gently pressed his lips against the top of her head. Rachel tried to hold them in but eventually the tears came. He waited until her sobs died down a little to ask, "Honey, why have you been so upset?"

Rachel sobbed louder. _How do you not realise it?_

"I don't know if I've done anything wrong but there's nothing I hate more than seeing you like this..." He said sadly as he wiped away her tears and pushed back a few loose strands of hair with his fingers._  
_

Her voice quivered as she spoke. "I don't want to go home without you."

Ross was confused for a second. "Why?"

"Because I love you, ok?" She choked. "I've tried to stop loving you and I just can't. I need you, Ross. More than you'll ever know."

He spoke slowly. "Sweetie. I will never, ever stop loving you. That's us, right?" He took her hand in both of his and kissed it. "We're Ross and Rachel no matter what. Always and forever." Rachel looked up at him and smiled faintly before he continued. "But I think we need to distance ourselves from each other, at least for a while."

Rachel frowned. "Why, Ross?" She spoke louder. "Why are you trying to run away from your feelings? Or is it worse? Do you hate me so much you don't even want to look at me anymore?!"

"I just told you how much I love you!" His voice also gradually became louder. "I don't understand."

"I want to know why you're so scared of being with me!"

"I'm not, I just don't want to hurt you."

"Well, you're hurting me by not being with me. Just, please don't leave. Please," She almost begged.

"I have to. It's for my job's sake."

Rachel pulled away from him. "Oh, so when it comes to your job it's okay for you to leave for the other side of the country, but when it comes to my job I'm not even allowed to talk to a colleague outside the workplace just because you said so?!"

"That was different, we were together then!" He said, raising his voice again.

"That's not the point!" She briskly walked to the door and turned around, really crying now. "You know what? I hope you do stay here. Work at your fancy job, earn all the money you can, maybe even get a girlfriend while you're at it. I don't care!" And with that she slammed the door shut, leant against it on the other side and sank down to the floor, more tears streaming down her face before she could try and stop them.

...

An hour or two later, the group had arrived at the airport. Nobody spoke very much. Rachel wouldn't admit it to herself, but all she wanted was Ross to be there with her. She wanted him to kiss the pain away and tell her everything was going to be alright, just as he had so many times before. Was it really only last night that he held her so close, yet been so painfully far away? It felt like a century ago._  
_

_Now I've lost him forever._

She didn't mean what she had said. Of course she didn't want to be away from him. In fact, she wanted to be _with _him more than anything in the world. But now she'd be lucky if he so much as wanted to talk to her again. She had said she didn't care, so that's what he probably thought. But she didn't cry. Her friends were there, and Rachel didn't know how she would explain what was wrong if someone asked. The only one who would understand is Ross, but this was one situation she couldn't talk to him about, even if she had the chance.

_Guess I've thrown that all away too._

Rachel was mostly alone with her thoughts during the plane journey.

Chandler turned to Monica and said, "This trip has been so NOT fun."

"No? Well that's your fault. I had fun. Didn't you guys have fun?" she asked the others.

The other three friends replied with unenthusiastic mumbles.

"I tried to make this trip enjoyable! It's not my fault you all..." Monica went on for at least 20 minutes, with Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Rachel falling in and out of their slumbers.

The time finally came that they landed in New York. The group made their way through the busy airport, but as they were approaching the gate exit, Rachel looked up at the screen showing the flight times and stopped in her tracks.

_20:40. Los Angeles, LAX._

She checked her watch. 8:20. She could make it.

"Rach, come on!" Monica called from a few metres down the packed hallway.

This was crazy, she'd just arrived in New York. But nevertheless, Rachel made a decision.

"I'm sorry. I just have to take care of something important." She said sadly. "Don't worry - I'll be home soon."

"Erm... Okay." The friends had no time to show their confusion. They waved goodbye and made sure they walked away quickly before they got caught in any further crowds.

Rachel dashed past everyone. _I have to explain everything to him. Make him know that I'm sorry. Tell him that I care. And tell him how I feel... Again. Tell him how he always manages to make me feel special. How much it crushes me thinking about him not being there to hold me and comfort me when I need him the most. __That I can't live without seeing those gorgeous brown eyes everyday._

"Hi." Rachel said, still slightly out of breath, to the woman behind the counter. "One ticket to LA, please."

* * *

**I know I have a habit of moving the story a bit too fast, but thank you for reading and please let me know what you think! Still more chapters to come, stay tuned ;) p.s. I've been thinking about starting another fanfic once I've finished this one. Would you guys be interested in reading it?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for being so slow with updates but chapter 9 is finally here! Enjoy :)**

* * *

Rachel hurried past the other passengers and boarded the busy plane. As it took off, she hoped for the best once she arrived in LA. Once she saw Ross again. A few moments later, with the plane swiftly gliding through the air, Rachel fell into a deep sleep.

...

An unusual shake. And another. Then a more violent one. Rachel's eyes darted open. She was half asleep, but the sound of the passenger's shrieks and then screams couldn't be mistaken for anything else. The shakes continued. Each time the plane rocked more furiously, forcing a tight knotting sensation to settle in her stomach. Suddenly, Rachel felt herself falling vertically. She cried out as the plane travelled closer to the ground, seeing the terrified faces of her fellow passengers, hearing a deafening crash and the final echo of her cries. Until she could see nor hear no more.

...

"Hello?" Monica called into the phone. "Hospital?... Yes, this is Monica Geller." She paused, giving the person on the opposite end of the conversation a chance to explain why they were calling. Eventually, she replied. "Oh my God." Monica held her breath unconsciously and moved her free hand to cluch her stomach. "How is she?"

"She was already unconscious when we found her; I think she'll be in a coma for some time. But she has a good chance of making it out."

"When?" Monica questioned hastily.

"That's the problem. We don't know."

After the conversation was over, Monica knew what she had to do. _Call Ross. He deserves to know. _She painfully punched the numbers into her phone and waited for him to pick up.

...

Ross sat in his hotel room alone, not ready to go to his new home yet. He really hated himself for leaving things with Rachel the way he had. _But why me? I didn't do anything wrong. I only gave Rachel the fresh start she wanted. The life without me that she's wanted ever since we broke up... But lately we had actually gotten to a point where we could be friends again. We liked each other. Before she left, we even loved each other. But somehow I ruined it, and she's probably home by now, thinking about how much better off she is without me. She must hate me. But that doesn't change the way I -_

His thoughts were cut off by the sound of the telephone ringing. Ross saw the caller ID and picked it up quickly. "Hey Mon."

"Ross." Monica's voice was solemn. "I have some bad news."

"What is it? Are you okay? Is it mom or dad?" Ross slowly started to panic.

"I'm fine, mom and dad are fine."

"Thank God." Ross breathed out a sigh of relief.

Monica paused, biting her lip. "It's Rachel."

Ross was silent, not wanting to believe the words he had just heard.

"Ross? Are you okay?" Monica called down the phone.

"I..." He swallowed. "What do mean, 'it's Rachel'?"

"Rachel... Rachel was in a plane crash." She told him gently as Ross feared the worse. "She's alive but... she's in a coma."

A lump formed in his throat. "Oh my God... But if she was in a plane crash, why weren't you?"

"The rest of us were in New York. Rachel was too, for 10 minutes before realising that she had to get a plane back to LA."

"Why?"

"I think she wanted to see you, Ross."

Ross suddenly felt crushingly guilty. If he had gone with her to New York, she wouldn't have needed to come to LA to see him. She wouldn't have needed to take that plane.

"I need to see her." He said, trembling.

"Me, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey are visiting the hospital tomorrow afternoon. She's staying at one here in New York." Monica told him.

"Okay, I'll fly out. I just have to see her."

"Visiting hours are 2-4pm."

Ross seemed shocked. "We have to wait until then? Are you sure we can't see her any earlier?"

"I think only family can see her before 2..."

"Okay, I'll be there. Bye, Mon." He sighed, putting down the phone and thinking in silence. Ross didn't want to wait any longer. He packed a few bags before putting on his coat and shoes, and soon he was headed off to the airport.

...

By the time Ross had arrived at his New York apartment, which fortunately had not been sold yet, it was the early hours of morning. Monica had said that family could visit before 2pm, but Ross guessed that didn't include 4am. Besides, he wasn't family, how could he manage to persuade them to let him see her? Nevertheless, he headed out and hailed a taxi to the hospital.

...

"Hi, I'm Ross Geller," Ross said to the receptionist as he approched the desk. "I would like to see a patient who goes by the name of Rachel Green."

The receptionist stared at him. "What relation do you have to Miss Green?"

"I'm a close friend." He said, even though after the argument he wasn't really sure.

"Oh. I'm sorry, it's 4am and family does come first." said the receptionist sympathetically.

"Please," Ross began, "She's my best friend. Isn't there anything you could do?"

She sighed before speaking. "Okay, I'll make an exception. Take as long as you need, but if anyone asks, don't say it was me who let you through."

Ross read her name label. "Thanks, Linda."

Linda winked at him before asking one of the nurses to show him to Rachel's room.

...

Ross followed the nurse through the corridors, preparing himself for Rachel's condition; he was relieved when the door was opened and he saw that Rachel only had a broken arm, along with some cuts and bruises. Ross slowly approached her bedside, taking extra care when reaching out to touch her hand, scared to cause any harm to her fragile frame. He pulled a chair as the nurse let herself out, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey," he began. _They say sometimes people in comas can still hear you talking. _"I don't know how to begin to tell you how sorry I am." He took hold of her hand in both of his and pressed it against his lips. "I shouldn't have fought with you... I should have come to New York instead, then none of this would have happened." Ross kissed her fingers again. "I'm so sorry. And I know that the concious you would yell at me to get out, but I wouldn't mind. As long as you wake up, even if it's to say you hate me," he said, letting go of her hand and reaching to run his fingers through her hair, then lovingly stroking her cheek. Tearing up, Ross continued, "Please. Because if you don't open those beautiful blue eyes, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Then, ever so gently, he reached over and planted the softest, sweetest, most tender kiss on her forehead.

Eventually, Ross returned to his seat. Giving Rachel's hand a small squeeze, he wished more than anything that she would return it, that she would wake up and wrap her arms around him, and he would smell her hair and rub her back knowing that everything was going to be okay, like he had so many times before. Or maybe that was all in the past now.

Nevertheless, he visited her everyday, waiting for her to wake up. Monica, Phoebe, Chandler and Joey also visited mostly every other day.

"I can't believe Ross has been here this whole tine." Joey stated one time as they walked up to Rachel's room.

"Yeah, well I think it's really sweet. Ross staying here everyday until the woman he's in love with wakes up." said Phoebe.

"'Woman he's in love with'?" enquired Monica. "Phoebe, what do you mean?"

"I mean, Ross is still in love with Rachel!" exclaimed Phoebe.

"Okay, I got that. But how do you know? Does Rachel know? Does she feel the same way?" Monica asked Phoebe.

"Geez, Mon, calm down!" Chandler interrupted. "But if they were still in love with each other it would explain the last few nights..."

"The last few nights?!" Monica and Phoebe exclaimed in perfect unison.

Joey thought for a second. "Yeah, Rachel sneaked into Ross' room every night of the vacation."

"And you never told us?" Monica said, shocked.

"We thought you knew!"

"No!" said Phoebe. "But oh my God!"

"And Ross told you this?" Monica asked Chandler.

"Not exactly. We spotted Rachel going into his room each evening and sneaking out every morning. I think if they were back together, they were really keen not to let anyone else know."

"Why not?"

"Maybe they thought we'd make a big deal over it and get involved in it all."

"Huh." said Monica, trying to brush off the thought that what Chandler said was completely accurate. "Well that's stupid of them. I mean, look at us. Here. Not making a big deal. And getting involved? When have we ever gotten involved? Why would we ever do that?!" She exclaimed, gradually raising her voice.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Yeah. So... You wanna get involved?" Phoebe questioned the group.

"Duh." "Totally." "Okay!"

* * *

**Okay, I admit, I had no idea about the time zones and now long the plane journey's took in this chapter... Well, maybe I'm too lazy to work it all out! Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading and thank you for the reviews, they mean so much to me. Please RnR, chapter 10 is on the way x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, it's been a while! Enjoy :)**

* * *

As the weeks passed, Ross was by Rachel's side any chance he had, determined to be there when she finally woke up. The other four visited regulary, all pleased that Ross' feelings for Rachel were naturally becoming clearer but also couldn't help feeling slightly dissappointed because this meant that they hadn't needed to use their plan yet.

"What are we supposed to do when she wakes up?" Phoebe asked Monica as they returned from another visit to the hospital.

"Do you honestly think I haven't got it all worked out?" Monica retorted, unlocking the door to apartment 20.

"You do?"

"You bet! Once I'm done with those two, they'll be so in love they won't know what hit them."

"Monica, are you sure this is all neccessary?" Phoebe enquired doubtfully. "I mean, it seems like Ross is already there."

"But what about Rachel? Yes, I know she was going back for Ross, but what if it's not what we think?"

"You're right... Okay, let's do it!"

...

"Why isn't she awake yet? It's been four weeks, the doctors said she'd be here before the month was up." Ross said as calmy as he could manage, gazing at Rachel's still body. Ross was blown away by how stunning she still looked.

"We're hoping she'll be with us any day now, I'm sorry it's been longer than expected," the nurse told him, "but some things don't work out the way you thought they would."

Ross continued looking at Rachel. When other people saw her, they saw just that. Rachel Green, their daughter, sister, friend, or to many nothing more than a random stranger. But when Ross saw her, he saw the lips he had once kissed. The bright blue eyes he had once gazed into with more love than he had ever thought was possible. The eyes that had once gazed back at him the same way. The same ones that had been filled with so much hurt after the break up.

He saw all the moments of pain, when he had been there to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Even when she had been angry, he would pull her into his arms and press a kiss on the top of her head, and she would melt into his embrace and forgot what she had been angry about in the first place. Maybe he was all she needed.

He also saw a smile, a laugh, the way her eyes would light up when she was happy. Her personality. Her heart. Everything he loved about her.

"Yes," Ross reached out and rubbed Rachel's hand. "Sometimes they don't."

_*Flashback*_

_May, 1996._

_"Hey you." Rachel said to Ross, realising he was awake. It was 10am on a saturday morning. The couple had gone out to dinner the night before and come back to Ross' apartment for 'dessert'._

_"Hey you." He replied, kissing her sweetly on the forehead, the tip of her nose and finally her lips. Almost her whole body was on his; the way they always slept. Rachel felt herself shiver as his mouth left hers and started a trail of soft, wet kisses down her neck. She tilted her head to one side to allow him to explore the rest properly. Ross worked his way down and started kissing her shoulder tenderly as she closed her eyes and inhaled his scent. He traced his kisses back up and started nibbling on her earlobe._

_"Mm..." Rachel smiled, enjoying the feeling of his mouth on her delicate earlobe skin. "Not now..."_

_"Why?" Ross asked in innocent voice._

_"Because we have to get dressed..." She laughed quietly, slowly getting up._

_"How about we just lie here for a while then." He reached his hand out to grab hers and pull her back into the bed and into his arms. She didn't reject._

_They lay there for some moments, her head resting on his chest, their fingers entwined over the bed sheets. Ross buried his face in her hair and kissed it several times._

_"I could stay like this forever." Rachel thought out loud._

_"Me too," he stated, getting closer to her face. "but we've got every day for the rest of our lives." She puckered her lips as he knelt in to kiss her, but at the last minute his lips met her cheek instead._

_"Hey, what was that for?" She asked him in pretended annoyance._

_"What?"_

_"That kiss!"_

_"It was because I love you."_

_"Wow, how sweet. You know exactly what I mean." She teased, turning over so that she was directly on top of his body, face to face. "Why did you kiss my cheek when you could've just -" Rachel pushed her lips up against his._

_"Ohh! Well I'm sorry." He gently brought her face in and kissed her on the mouth. Rachel smiled at him as they broke off._

_"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"_

_Ross smiled back at her. "It's come up a few times yes."_

_"I love you."_

_He brought her fingers to his lips. "I love you too."_

_*End flashback*_

Ross caught a last glimpse of Rachel before closing the door behind him. A million and one memories and thoughts paced through his mind as he walked down the near deserted hallways, each one so vivid he might have guessed they happened less than a few hours ago.

Suddenly, the hallways weren't so empty anymore. A number of doctors and nurses were rushing out from different corners of the hospital, but they were all heading for the same destination: _Rachel's room._

"Doctor!" He called out to one of them in worry. "What's going on?!"

"It's your friend... She's awake."

Ross sighed, feeling overwhelmed with relief and joy, leaning against the wall for support. "Oh my God, are you sure? This is amazing, I can't even begin to start thanking you!"

"No need to thank me." The corners of the doctor's mouth curved upwards into a smile. "You can see her if you like?"

"Oh..." he still wasn't sure whether his prescence would be appreciated, but nevertheless he followed him through back to her room.

Then Ross saw Rachel, sitting almost upright in bed and fiddling with the edge of the sheets. She glanced upwards as he walked in, resting her eyes on his for a moment.

"Ross."

* * *

**Hope that was okay, I've been busy with school and things so sorry if my mind seems elsewhere! Anyway, keep on reading and also reviews mean the world to me, thank you :)**

**P.S. Happy 19 Years Of Friends**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello again, so I finally updated *yay* and obviously I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

"Hi..." Ross said, not breaking eye contact with Rachel. "How erm, how are you feeling?"

She replied, slightly confused, "I'll survive... Ross, why... how... are you here?"

"I had to see you. Something like this happens and I didn't want you to think I didn't care. You know I care, Rach." He sat in the chair at her bedside. "If anything happened to you -"

"But it didn't, Ross."

"I know, but if it had... I can't imagine -"

Rachel smiled sadly. "I heard everything you told me whilst I was out."

"So you did..."

"Thank you for being here."

"Don't thank me, I couldn't have imagined it any other way. After all, this was all my fault."

Before he could say anything else, Rachel sat up. "Don't say that! It was my fault for having that stupid argument with you, and then realising my mistake when it was too late. I was the one who got on that plane because I didn't want to leave things that way. I was going to fix a problem _I _started -"

"Hey Rach." Ross entwined his fingers with hers and brought them to her cheek, brushing it tenderly. Then he stroked the soft skin where her temple met her hairline. "Get some rest. I'll let the others know you're back and we can do this later."

She looked across at him. "Okay." She tried to lie back down but a little too fast, and with Ross' help she sat up again just as quickly. "Wo... Oww, headrush."

"Are you okay?" He enquired, concerned.

"Yeah... A little dizzy, that's all." Rachel tightened her grip on his hand and smiled at him weakly.

Ross stood up. "Let me just..." He delicately placed his free arm around her back, giving her support as he helped her into a lying position. "Easy..."

"... There."

"Thank you."

Ross let go of Rachel's hand to cover her with the bed sheet. "I should go now, but like I said, get some sleep." Then he knelt in and sweetly pressed his lips against her forehead. "And feel better soon."

Rachel silently observed as he walked out of the door.

...

"Rachel's awake? That's the best news!" Monica called down the phone when Ross told her what had happened earlier. "Yeah..." After a few minutes the phone call had ended and Monica walked over to the sofa area, where Phoebe, Joey and Chandler where sitting.

"Did you hear that? Rachel's awake! We can start the plan!" She clapped her hands together and smiled at them expectantly.

"Wow. She's so lucky to have a friend like you." Chandler said flatly.

"I know!"

"So... how is this gonna work?" Joey asked.

"I was waiting for you to ask that! Well. It really starts once Rachel gets out of hospital. You see, I'm gonna tell her I'm going away for a while. She can't come back here and live alone. I mean, she's just come out of a coma and she's got the broken arm, right?" Monica stopped pacing around the room for a moment. "So, Rachel's gonna have to live with someone else whilst I'm 'gone'. She can't live with Phoebe because her grandma's already in the other room. She could live with Joey and Chandler but that would be a bit of a tight squeeze, and what's the point when _someone else _has a spare room?"

"I did hear the president is looking for a roommate."

"Chandler, I just - No! I was talking about Ross."

"Okay, okay." Chandler relaxed, starting to get on board. "But how do you except her to believe you're actually going away when you don't tell her where you're going?" He quipped.

"Oh, I... I could say I'm going to..."

"You're going to a cooking... chef... thingy!" exclaimed Phoebe, pointing at her. "And guess what, my grandma's going somewhere with her boyfriend for a few weeks. Rachel will believe our plan whilst you'll be living with me the whole time!"

Monica jumped up slightly. "Yes, yes! Phoebe you're a genious!"

"I know, but thank you."

Phoebe and Chandler got up to stand beside Monica, then the three looked on at Joey, who was still sitting firmly on the sofa.

"Er, Joey?" Monica said slightly frustrated.

"It's just... Should we really be doing this? Imagine someone messing with your life like that..."

"It's not messing!" Phoebe interrupted. "It's just getting them to admit what's already there. That, y'know, they're hopelessy stupidly madly in love with each other."

"We just want to help them and to be honest, the love thing's really driving me crazy." added Monica.

"Eh... Oh, what the hell," he shot up and went to join the others, "This is gonna be so much fun!"

"Could this plan _be _any better?"

They all gathered round, high-fiving each other excitedly and eagerly awaiting what the next few weeks would bring.

...

*2 weeks later*

"So we're all clear on what we have to say?" Monica checked for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes.

"Yes!" The three friends chorused exasperatedly.

"I shouldn't be this excited but oh my God!" Chandler exclaimed as they walked down the familiar white corridor of the hosipital. "I'm so excited I think I'm gonna throw up."

Phoebe grinned delightedly. "Oh, me too!"

"No! Especially not when we get back, I don't want you ruining my apartment."

The others ignored Monica's comment and went to sit in the waiting area. A few minutes later, Rachel emerged from her room, followed by a nurse.

"Hi!" Rachel held her arms out to them and they shared a group hug. "I guess I'm finally coming home!"

Monica untangled herself. "Yeah, about that -"

"Hey, where's Ross?" Rachel interrupted eagerly.

"He wasn't here when we arrived..."

"I think I saw him at the vending machine down there." Joey said, pointed down the hall.

Rachel nodded as group went to approach him. Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

"Hi, you guys! And Rachel!" Ross grinned and Rachel shot him a shy smile back, before walking into Ross' outstretched arms. He pulled her into a warm embrace, careful not to knock her arm in its cast. Rachel rested her head on his chest as he cuddled her into him and kissed the top of her head. "Hey Rach." he said into her hair. She missed being held by Ross.

"Hey." She responded, closing her eyes and melting deeper into the hug.

Ross started to to stroke Rachel's hair gently. "You okay?"

"Well, yeah."

He didn't say anything. Holding her like that for a while, he kept his lips pressed on her hair and rubbed her back, then eventually they both made themselves let each other go.

"I guess we better get going." said Ross.

"Good idea." Ross and Rachel turned to face the others, and at that moment Monica decided to speak.

"No... I'm going away!"

"What?" Rachel questioned.

"I'm going away for a few weeks for a culinary experience, there are these great fairs and things. I know you really wouldn't wanna be alone right now, and I'm so sorry but... I just can't miss this oppurtunity."

"Oh..." Rachel's expression dulled slightly.

Ross saw her with a look of concern on his face. After a what seemed like years he spoke up. "Why don't you live with me for a while?"

"What? Are you sure you want me interrupting your life like that?"

"You won't be interrupting my life, I promise." He took hold of her hand.

"Okay... Okay, I'll move in with you. Thank you Ross, this means a lot to me."

"Oh, aw!" Ross smiled coyly as Rachel reached out to hug him again. He gladly locked her into his arms. "No problem."

Rachel grinned and looked up at him, chuckling slightly. "Hey roomie."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, any opinions? Reviews will always be appreciated, they all mean so much to me. Look forward to chapter 12 :)**


End file.
